Photograph by: Jenelle Schneider
, Vancouver Sun

After a long and bitter NHL lockout, Vancouver businesses were expecting a boost when the Canucks returned to the ice.

But lacklustre interest among fans didn’t end after the 113-day stalemate back in January, say those in the hospitality and retail sectors that rely on NHL buzz for a big portion of their sales.

At Malone’s Bar and Grill, this season was the worst in recent memory, even after the condensed season started.

“There is no making up the gap,” said owner Sam Yehia. He estimated sales were down 15 per cent from last year during the short, 48-game season. Overall, most establishments contacted by The Vancouver Sun said their sales were down between 20 and 30 per cent from October to May.

For years Malone’s has been buying season’s tickets worth $40,000 and re-selling them to nearby Cambie Hostel travellers and other patrons who want to cross “Canucks game” off their bucket list. That’s likely to end, he said.

“We found it excruciatingly difficult to actually get people interested in the season,” he said. “I don’t know why. I don’t know whether it was their performance or the repetition of the same teams, but certainly the interest was inferior to anything we’ve witnessed in the past.”

Yehia was forced to sell even playoff tickets below cost, and for the first time, the Canucks were offering discounted tickets as well, selling $300 tickets for $130 for Round One games against the San Jose Sharks.

“It’s absolutely unheard of,” Yehia said. “It just seemed like the spirit and the loyalty to it was just not there … Now we have this huge question about what do you do from here?”

The Canucks were ousted from the playoffs in Game 4 Tuesday night in an 4-3 overtime loss. The Sharks swept the series in four games.

At Sports Corner memorabilia store on Granville, manager Mike Jackson said he was looking to other teams like the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs to do well in the playoffs to make back a bit of money. Fewer fans have been buying jerseys or hats or anything else NHL-related all season.

“It’s pretty grim,” Jackson said.

“We’re way down, with the shortened season and a quick exit from the playoffs,” he said, estimating sales had dropped between 25 and 30 per cent from the 2011-2012 season.

Many blamed their losses on resentment over the lockout.

“When the NHL came back in, people were a bit bitter,” said G Sports Bar & Grill office manager Vneet Bains, who estimated a 30 per cent drop in bar sales, and although there were no layoffs, there was no additional hiring.

“The lockout took some of the momentum away, and I didn’t find the people as into it as they were the last couple of years,” she said.

The same was true at the Shark Club.

“The condensed season really didn’t do us any favours,” said general manager Tim Murphy, citing the fact no Eastern Conference teams — such as the Pittsburgh Penguins, Winnipeg Jets or archrival Boston Bruins — came to Vancouver, and the games were scheduled so close together. And during the playoffs, “no one was wearing jerseys, there were no car flags, you can get into Game One for 50 bucks. It’s like, what happened?”

The Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association estimates $1 million comes into Vancouver per home game during the regular season. With just 24 home games instead of 41, that means a loss of nearly $17 million before the playoffs started.

“Certainly for the sports bars, this is their bread and butter,” said association president Charles Gauthier.

And the Canucks’ first round knockout could add up to as much as $25 to $30 million in lost opportunity had they made it to the finals, said Ian Tostenson, president and CEO of the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

“There’s clear evidence that hockey does drive sales and that sales drive employment.”

It’s been a tough few years for the industry, he said, so the loss will hurt.

“I wouldn’t say jobs are lost, but hours will be a less for a bit,” Tostenson said. Individual servers may lose 10 to 20 per cent of their hours for about a month, he estimated. But he also noted that with Mother’s Day this weekend and the warm weather, bars and restaurants will see an uptick in business.

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